Adnan vows to hold on to his hunger strike
Detained Islamic Jihad leader Sheikh Khader Adnan has vowed to continue in his hunger strike despite the Israeli court ruling that he should serve his four-month administrative custody.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7IJZXax7HYpak8qDexGNELcKU0dAzFqMGH%2fdmldS8eXK0luZsskZSW3Bs%2blHAgx95lw4hib3YZITlqe3P4ANl3mt%2fYWwMdHqeoyNnl49X%2fLQ%3d
URGENT: Heed Randa Adnan’s call. Military court rejects Khader Adnan’s appeal in de facto death sentence
“My husband is dying inside an Israeli jail. The world should make sure I am able to see him,” she said. “And it should pressure the Israeli government to release him before it’s too late… Israel denied Khader any fairness or decency…But maybe the rest of humanity will show more mercy.” – Randa Adnan
“My husband is dying inside an Israeli jail. The world should make sure I am able to see him… And it should pressure the Israeli government to release him before it’s too late.”
Starving for freedom: The hunger strike of Khader Adnan
Khader Adnan, currently on hunger strike in an Israeli prison, runs the risk of dying without international help. Amman, Jordan – By the time you read these words, Khader Adnan could be dead. After 58 full days on hunger strike, his body is already well past the stage where his vital organs may cease to function at any moment. But Khader Adnan is dying to live. The 33-year-old Palestinian baker, husband, father, and graduate student has refused food since December 18, a day after he was arrested in a nighttime raid on his family home by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. He has lost over 40 kgs and his wife Randa and young daughters have described his appearance as “shocking”. Adnan, whom Israel says is a member of Islamic Jihad, was given a four month “administrative detention” order by the Israeli military – meaning that he is held without being charged for any crime or trial, a practice continued by Israel that dates back to British colonial days. Yesterday an Israeli military court rejected Adnan’s appeal against the arbitrary detention. Having vowed to maintain his hunger strike until he is released or charged, the judge – an Israeli military officer – might as well have sentenced Khader Adnan to death, unless there is urgent international intervention. Though the life in his body hangs on by a thread, his spirit is unbroken.
Israel shackles Palestinian hunger striker
Khader Adnan, detained without charge for two months, may be close to death say human rights groups. A Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for more than eight weeks is being kept shackled to a hospital bed by the Israeli authorities, despite warnings that he may be close to death. Khader Adnan, 33, has been held without charge under “administrative detention” since mid-December. The Israeli military authorities have refused to tell his lawyer what he is accused of or disclose any evidence against him.
Hundreds in Israeli jails join hunger strike
Palestinian inmates join Khader Adnan who has gone 56 days without food in protest against his detention without charge.
“A lot of the hair on his face and head has fallen off,” The Aljazera article quoted Randa, Khader Adnan’s wife, as saying. I had been alarmed by the evidence of Khader’s deteriorating health because of his hunger strike, now approaching the two-month mark. He is protesting his arrest by the Israeli occupation authorities with no trial or specific charges and of the attendant humiliation. He has declared his readiness to sacrifice his life in defense of dignity, his personal dignity and that of Palestinians under occupation in general. After all, fully one fourth of all Palestinians under occupation have experienced incarceration by Israel’s armed forces. In fact Palestinians everywhere have proclaimed Khader as their representative in the face of injustice. I have signed letters initiated by Physicians for Human Rights, a group I am proud to have participated in founding in Israel, asking for his immediate release on humanitarian and medical grounds. And I have read the few reports from Khader’s few visitors. Had I been back home, I would have agitated to visit him as a physician on behalf of one concerned group or another. But at my current location in New York I have to be satisfied with what I can glean about his health from second hand sources.
Jewish settlers confiscate 20 dunums of Palestinian land in Al-Khalil
Hundreds of Jewish settlers from the Kiryat Arba settlement started on Sunday to cultivate 20 dunums of Palestinian land to the east of Al-Khalil.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s76Fc2mMTyXBkRMTaVwUTo6FQUQ5p0f5bmXoRZ2g%2fRF80Mq2lWeHH4jICz%2fDGGamndG7N5HkUIGv8WnLe5Ru8TiTvTw%2bsZX1CJKk4DCN1pMJo%3d
Israeli Forces Begin Construction of New Fence Near Beit Ommar
On the early morning of February 13, 2012, Israeli Forces accompanied by survey workers started to put marks on Route 60, the main road connecting the cities of Hebron and Jerusalem in the southern West Bank. The soldiers started surveying the area from the entrance of Al-Arroub refugee camp all the way to Beit Ommar. This move seems to signify the intention of the Israeli military to put up a four-meter-high fence along this area to isolate the two Palestinian communities from the main street, and further restricting the movement of Palestinian residents living in the area. This act is part of a wider design of a collective punishment policy pursued by the Israeli occupation, in light of the increasing peaceful popular resistance activities in these areas.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/02/14/israeli-forces-begin-construction-of-new-fence-near-beit-ommar/
Israel approves plan to build huge Jewish tourist center in Silwan
The Zionist district committee for planning and building approved on Monday a plan to build what it called the foot center in Wadi Hilwa neighborhood of Silwan area.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s712vhC4aCKDudKfFX5ma0In31xGEZLpnyaXqRTq2vIguU%2b56pjGWoLrRuddaVmpSutcnmaHqI%2bW1ZS%2bIwnNGQjtXwu3%2fiHihcYkh3NdPaFS0%3d
Ariel center moves a step closer to becoming university
Hundreds of academics, including four Israel Prize laureates, petition education minister to nix process.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/ariel-center-moves-a-step-closer-to-becoming-university-1.412741
Saed Bannoura – IMEMC & Agencies – “Israeli bulldozers of the Jerusalem Municipality destroyed, on Monday morning, a playground in Wadi Hilweh area , in Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, and removed the protest tent in Silwan”
http://electronicintifada.net/content/gazans-shocked-home-demolitions-ordered-our-own-brothers/10929?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29
Israeli Court Forbids Nablus Mosque from Using Loudspeakers
The Israeli Supreme Court issued a preliminary ruling, forbidding Burin village mosque, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, from using loud speakers, and even from using lights on the mosque’s minaret.
Hamas calls for defending the Aqsa mosque
Hamas warned the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) of persisting in its attempts to storm the Aqsa mosque, describing the Aqsa as a “red line”.
Arab League discusses peace with Israel, ignores threats against Aqsa Mosque
The Arab League ignored in its meeting on Sunday the latest Israeli threats against the Aqsa Mosque and focused on the peace process with the Israeli occupation.
The United Nations has strongly criticised Israeli plans for relocating Bedouins in the desert and semi-desert region of Negev as well as decades of promotion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and in Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. Raquel Rolnik, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, finds that Israeli Arabs as well as Palestinians living under military occupation are also affected by ongoing threats against their right to housing. She made these remarks on February 13 just after concluding a two-week visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. “Throughout my visit, I was able to witness a land development model that excludes, discriminates against and displaces minorities in Israel which is being replicated in the occupied territory, affecting Palestinian communities,” she stated.
Exploring the Illegality of ‘Land Swap’ Agreements under Occupation
Al-Haq’s Exploring the Illegality of ‘Land Swap’ Agreements under Occupation examines the legal implications of the conclusion of ‘land swap’ agreements between Israel and the Palestinian representatives whilst the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip is ongoing.
Jewish settlers attacked a Palestinian car driven by a woman south of Al-Khalil and smashed its rear window on Sunday night.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7Z2AvPM7MU0vjjLIp3YN9UUCrKpzqpC%2bS47doaEJO3btxGADaalMnKlnYbjL%2bltEAwLPCL5hMzN%2fC1HqTb8dzfnJ6ny8FAqknMUNhyniMisM%3d
Crimes against Detained Palestinian Children
Amir Ofek, the press attaché for the Embassy of Israel in London, published an article in response to The Guardian special report entitled ‘The Palestinian children – alone and bewildered – in Israel’s Al Jalame jail’. His response included many allegations and false information which should be clarified. He said, “When a minor involved in terrorist activity is arrested, the law is clear: no torture or humiliation is permitted, nor is solitary confinement in order to induce a confession – which challenges the veracity of the accounts in your article”. He also ignored all forms of torture to which Israel subjects Palestinian children. He claimed that children have been accused of committing atrocities, including killing the Fogel family while they slept. He also claimed that Palestinian factions send children to commit suicide bombings.
IOF troops round up 12 Palestinians
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up 12 Palestinian citizens in Al-Khalil and Ramallah provinces in pre-dawn raids on Tuesday.
IOF soldiers arrest liberated prisoner
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained a Palestinian ex-prisoner, who was released in the exchange deal between Hamas and Israel in October last year, in Al-Khalil on Monday evening.
Gaza
The authorities in Gaza say the Palestinian territory’s only power station has had to shut down because of a lack of fuel.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-17028000
Israeli troops attacked on Saturday the weekly nonviolent protest against the Annexation Wall and settlements, in Beit Ummar town, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron; four protestors were kidnapped, several others were wounded.
http://www.imemc.org/article/62984
On Saturday, February 11th, 2012, about 100 Palestinian demonstrators supported by international and Israeli solidarity activists, organized a demonstration in the community of Susiya, in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank. The action was supported by the Palestine Solidarity Project. At 10am, the activists marched to an area where Israeli settlers had illegally erected a house on land belonging to Palestinians, and the Israeli military had blocked off the main access road to Palestinian vehicles with coils of barbed wire.
Beit Ommar Activists Released From Israeli Jail with 1500 Shekel Fines
Yousef and Saqqar Abu Maria, two Palestinian activists from Beit Ommar who were arrested on Saturday, February 11, 2012 during an unarmed demonstration against the Israeli occupation, have been released from the Israeli prison of Ramle on the evening of February 13th. Both men were released after being held for more than 48 hours, after they each were ordered to pay a fine of 1500 shekels (roughly $450 usd) each by the Israeli courts. Please consider donating to the Palestine Solidarity Project legal defense fund to help cover these costs and other costs for unarmed Palestinian activists on the front lines of fighting for their freedom. Since the beginning of January 2012, 34 Palestinians have been arrested from Beit Ommar village alone by Israeli Forces. Seven of these were minors under the age of 18.
KAFR QADDOUM-Popular resistance demonstrations raged throughout the West Bank on Friday in protest of Israel’s Occupation, its systematic land annexations, and more recently, its use of administrative detention in solidarity with Khader Adnan.
US academics recently returned from a fact-finding delegation describe the daily ritual of subordination, humiliation and suspicion endured by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.
Israeli Apartheid Week Montreal 2012
Israeli Apartheid Week Montreal. March 5-13th 2012 8th annual Israeli Apartheid Week featuring inspiring conferences, workshops, film screenings, demonstrations, and cultural events to raise awareness around the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israeli apartheid. Monday, March 5 Film Screening with Cinema Politica Tears of Gaza 7:00pm, Concordia University 1455 de Maisonneuve West room H-110 (Guy-Concordia metro) Disturbing, powerful and emotionally […]
Checkpoint date: When dinner isn’t the only check you have to worry about - watch more funny videos. On Monday February 13, human rights advocates launched a new website —loveunderapartheid.com — with the goal of sharing the stories of Palestinians struggling to maintain love and family relationships despite the boundaries imposed by Israeli apartheid. Israel’s systematic discrimination and segregation of Palestinians, the division of family by the apartheid wall and checkpoints, and the imposition laws of impeding Palestinian marriages have made certain forms of love impossible. By the afternoon, tweets using #LoveUnderApartheid had caused the hashtag to trend worldwide and in the United States, joining Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift in popularity on the social media website.
University president promotes hasbara event with Israeli soldier in campus-wide email, Adam Horowitz
A friend writes: Western University of Health Sciences‘ President, Philip Pumerantz, sent out a campus-wide email on February 7th inviting the campus community in joining him to welcome “Sgt. Benjamin Anthony from Israel, as he shares his experience in the Israeli army.” The email noted that a free lunch will be provided and asked those interested in attending the event to RSVP to WesternU’s Hillel Club. The event is co-sponsored by WesternU’s Hillel Club and Military Medical Students Association, the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, Hasbara, and Our Soldiers Speak.
https://mondoweiss.net/2012/02/university-president-promotes-hasbara-event-with-israeli-soldier-in-campus-wide-email.html
Iran urges Hamas to continue fight against Israel (AP)
AP – Iran’s leaders urged the Hamas prime minister of Gaza to continue the Islamic militant group’s resistance against Israel and promised support, state TV reported on Sunday.
Abbas: Israel has made two-state solution impossible
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the peace process deterioration stems from the act that Israel has broken all the agreements signed between the two sides and due to Israel’s lack of commitment to international decisions and the quartet’s declarations and the roadmap. At a press conference held in Ramallah Abbas added that “Israel’s actions have made the two state solution impossible and that is unacceptable.” He noted that the Palestinians were set to take steps agreed upon with the Arab states.
Palestinian women await scrapping of honour killing
Ramallah: The Palestinian Women’s Movement is awaiting the implementation of the reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah, which will pave the way for a legitimate parliament to approve the long-awaited legislation which abolishes the legal clauses that allow crimes of honour. In an interview with Gulf News, Rawdah Baseer, an activist of the Palestinian Feminist Movement and head of the Palestinian Women’s Studies Centre, said the legislation once approved will be a key achievement for the women fighting against this menace since the 1990s.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/palestinian-territories/palestinian-women-await-scrapping-of-honour-killing-1.980525
Other News
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire — The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is attempting to block a brief filed by Director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) Grant F. Smith in the DC Court of Appeals on February 3, 2012. The 78-page IRmep filing asserts “AIPAC has never abandoned its original role as an arm of the Israeli government in the United States.”http://www.IRmep.org/ila/rosen Citing declassified criminal investigations, IRmep underscores the public’s interest in the outcome of the case. “AIPAC’s observable standard for employees is ‘solicit, obtain and leverage classified information without being criminally indicted.’ AIPAC is never held publicly accountable for these types of activities which harm governance and public perception of rule of law.” Exhibits include State Department files declassified on January 20, 2012 revealing in detail how former AIPAC Director Morris Amitay endangered US national security when he obtained Department of Defense secrets in 1974. The IRmep brief also analyzes ongoing financial damages from a 1984-1987 incident. The FBI investigated how AIPAC acquired an International Trade Commission report full of still-classified confidential business information.
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2012/02/aipac-trying-to-block-brief-that-states.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+friday-lunch-club+%28%22friday-lunch-club%22%29
Did IDF corporal sodomize fellow soldier?
Corporal A accused of sodomizing soldier in front of friends at southern Air Force base; Also charged with violent act against another soldier.
Indictment: Jerusalem cult members abused minors
Prosecution files severe indictment against three wives, three children of cult leader; details harsh punishment for young members, including whipping, sexual abuse
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4189595,00.html
Police try to prevent people marking the anniversary of pro-democracy protests in Bahrain’s capital, after a second day of clashes in outlying villages.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-17027867
Bahrain troops attack anti-regime demo
Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have attacked anti-government demonstrators on the eve of the first anniversary of the popular uprising in the country.
Bahrain activists hit by teargas
Security forces in Bahrain fire teargas at protesters on the eve of the first anniversary of pro-democracy demonstrations in the Arab kingdom.
Fresh crackdown on anniversary of Bahrain protests
Protesters who gathered to mark the first anniversary of the Bahraini uprisings were attacked with teargas, birdshots, and stun grenades by Bahraini security forces on Tuesday, according to activists. “In addition to using excessive teargas, security forces are also firing birdshots at protesters. Many people were killed with birdshots in previous rallies,” said Mattar Ebrahim, an opposition figure in al-Wefaq party said.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/fresh-crackdown-anniversary-bahrain-protests-0?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlAkhbarEnglish+%28Al+Akhbar+English%29
The Bahraini government remains far from delivering the human rights changes that were recommended by an independent international commission, Amnesty International said today. Amnesty International warned that the government risked falling short of meeting its self-imposed deadline of the end of February to implement the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)’s recommendations. The organization called on the government to release all prisoners convicted or held solely for leading or peaceful participation in protests and to bring all those responsible for the gross human rights violations committed during the last year to account.
U.S.-Backed Bahraini Forces Arrest and Deport Two American Peace Activists Acting as Human Rights Observers
On Saturday, Bahrain arrested and deported two U.S. human rights lawyers, Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath, for their role in recent protests. They were deported Sunday and returned to New York last night. Both Arraf and Sainath are human rights lawyers and members of the Witness Bahrain initiative, which places international observers in the country in the hopes of preventing violence by security forces. Their arrest comes just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the popular uprising against the U.S.-backed monarchy. In the past year, Bahraini security forces have killed dozens of demonstrators, and hundreds more have been arrested or fired from their jobs. “[We] also were getting reports of journalists and human rights organization representatives being denied entry into the country in the lead-up to the first anniversary of the Bahrain revolution. And this caused great alarm, that the government was planning to escalate its oppression of the people,” says Huwaida Arraf.
Fired Shias want Bahrain jobs back
It’s been one year since anti-government protests started in Bahrain. Nearly 2,000 mainly Shia Muslim workers in both the private and public sector lost their jobs as punishment for their perceived participation in the protests. Unions say they have not got their jobs back, despite repeated promises from the government. Human rights groups and activists say more than 60 people have been killed, including four policemen, since the crackdown began on Shia-led protesters. Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJeKxGwnoZg&feature=youtube_gdata
Political Movements in Bahrain: Past, Present, and Future, Omar AlShehabi
One year ago, online activists called for a “February 14 Revolution” on the tiny island of Bahrain. Although the ongoing mass protests might come as a surprise for some, political movements in Bahrain and the wider Arabian Gulf have a long history that stretches back a hundred years. To place these movements in context, it is necessary to delve back in history to better understand the present and what harbingers these movements hold for the future. The region witnessed a remarkable development in 1938. Three movements emerged in Bahrain, Dubai, and Kuwait—all then under British “protection”—calling for a greater say in ruling matters, even daring to ask for a representative assembly. Although this was not the first political initiative in Bahrain, it was up until then the most coherent and organized. The movements in Bahrain and Dubai were put down, and only in Kuwait did an elected assembly emerge for a few months before being disbanded. This set the tone for future political activities in Bahrain, swinging between regime overthrow versus reform, clandestine versus public activity, and broad-based coalitions versus factional movements.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4363/political-movements-in-bahrain_past-present-and-fu
Bahraini Women: Pearls of The Revolution
Bahraini women were prominent partners in the Pearl revolution.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=45619&cid=23&fromval=1
Egypt
Al-Akhbar contributor freed, recalls screams of torture in Egypt
Egypt freed Al-Akhbar contributor and Australian journalist Austin Gerassimos Mackell on Monday, along with translator, Aliya Alwi, and an American student, Derek Ludovici, after detaining them for more than two days. The three had headed to the city of Mahalla, a known ‘hotspot’ for union activity north of Cairo, to cover news of a strike taking place in the town. Ludovici, a post-graduate student at the American University of Cairo studying unions, had accompanied Mackell and Alwi to interview a local union figure, Kamal el-Fayoumi.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/al-akhbar-contributor-freed-recalls-screams-torture-egypt-1?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlAkhbarEnglish+%28Al+Akhbar+English%29
Iran accuses Israel of setting up attacks on its own diplomats
After Israeli diplomats were targeted in India and Georgia yesterday, Iran blamed Israel for staging the attacks to heighten international opprobrium against Tehran.
‘Turkey will never endorse attack on Iran’
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has warned against any attack on Iran, saying it would be catastrophic for the region, Press TV reports.
Israeli Attack on Iran: Easier Said Than Done
Despite renewed media speculation regarding possible Israeli attacks against Iran’s nuclear facilities as early as this spring, skepticism that such a campaign could actually be successfully carried out remains relatively high, raising the question of whether there is more bark than bite to Israeli threats.
Officials: Iraqi policeman killed by insurgents (AP)
AP – Iraqi officials say a police commander who for years hunted militants was ambushed and killed in a former insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad.
Two separate blasts kill 3, wound 18 in Iraq (AP)
AP – Two separate attacks against Iraqi security forces killed three people and wounded 18 others on Tuesday, officials said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Saudi Arabia
Saudi forces arrest hospital head
Saudi forces have arrested the manager of a hospital in the city of Awamiyah in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on charges of treating injured anti-regime protesters.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226604.html
Saudis hold anti-regime demo in Qatif
Saudi protesters have held a demonstration in the Qatif region of the Eastern Province to call for an end to the rule of the Al Saud family, Press TV reports.
Malaysia ‘acted unlawfully’ in deporting Saudi journalist
Lawyers for Hamza Kashgari claim discrepancies in Malaysia’s account of his arrest and deportation could prove action violated international law. Lawyers representing Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari have said there are no immigration records of his deportation from Malaysia, insinuating that the 23-year-old had been sent back to his native country surreptitiously and in violation of international laws concerning non-refoulement. According to Kashgari’s lawyer, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, neither Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (Subang) airport nor Kuala Lumpur International airport, which both serve Malaysia’s capital, had any immigration records of Kashgari’s deportation. Without such records, the Malaysian government may have acted in contempt of court of an injunction to stop Kashgari’s deportation, Fadiah said.
Malaysia sends Saudi home, where he’s threatened with death for a tweet
A Malaysian lawyers’ group blamed Malaysia for handing Hamza Kashgari over to the Saudi authorities ‘on a silver platter.’ Mr. Kashgari allegedly insulted the prophet Muhammed on Twitter.
Hamzah deported: where are Western human rights organizations?, As’ad AbuKhalil
The case of Hamzah Kashgari is important. It is a case of Saudi repression abetted and aided by the US through the Interpol. The Malaysian government was pressured by the Saudi government to surrender the man. If Hamzah was a victim of the lousy Iranian state and its clerics, the man would have been made famous as Salman Rushdi. His face and name would have been plastered on walls covers of newspapers and magazines. Western human rights organizations would have held special conferences about the case. Hell, the Security Council of the UN would have convened and Ki-Moon would have issued one of his unread statements. But Hamzah is a victim of the Saudi state and its fanatical clerics. He won’t be made famous, if he his head rolls in a public square in Riyadh.
Unusual editorial on Saudi Arabia in the Washington Post, As’ad AbuKhalil
“Saudi Arabia is doing its best to bring about the end of Mr. Assad, whose Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, is a minority in a country with a plurality of Sunni Muslims. It argues that the Security Council must act not because of Mr. Assad’s sect but because of his brutality. Yet at home, this Sunni regime doesn’t hesitate to open fire on protesters from its own minority Shiite population — or to threaten a liberal columnist with execution. The Obama administration, which has loudly and repeatedly called for Mr. Assad’s departure, has had much less to say about King Abdullah’s repression. In December, it approved a $30 billion arms sale to his regime. Now it chastises Russia for supplying arms to Syria. Of course the violence in Syria is far greater than that of Saudia Arabia — more than 7,000 people have been killed, and rebels are being attacked with tanks and artillery. But brains, justice, morals and fairness are in short supply not only in Mr. Assad’s Damascus but in the royal palaces of Riyadh as well.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2012/02/unusual-editorial-on-saudi-arabia-in.html
With inadequate facilities and limited supplies, volunteers help treat wounded protesters who are afraid to go to hospitals fearing they will be arrested. Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons reports.
Arab bloc calls for Syria peacekeepers
Arab League ministers agree to ask United Nations for joint force and special Arab envoy as crackdown on Homs continues.
China tells Clinton Syria crisis internal matter
A senior Chinese official has told US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the crisis in Syria is an internal affair that should be dealt with by the country’s government, not outside forces. The statement comes as Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping begins a visit to the United States and ten days after China and Russia vetoed a US-led resolution on Syria at the UN Security Council. In what were described as “frank and in-depth” talks by the official Chinese Xinhua news agency, State Councilor Dai Bingguo told Clinton that the violence was “essentially Syria’s internal affair.”
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/china-tells-clinton-syria-crisis-internal-matter?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlAkhbarEnglish+%28Al+Akhbar+English%29
Idea of peacekeeping force for Syria greeted coolly
Such missions ‘need first to have a peace to support,’ Russia’s foreign minister says, but Russia and other leading nations are studying the Arab League proposal. A request by Arab foreign ministers that a joint Arab-U.N. peacekeeping team be dispatched to Syria met little international enthusiasm Monday as the death toll mounted in the battleground city of Homs and elsewhere.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said Sunday that the United States should provide medical aid, training and arms to those seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad. “The reality on the ground is since the U.N. resolution was vetoed by Russian and Iran [sic], the Assad government has begun to kill its own people with increasing frequency,” he said on CNN’s State of the Union. Russia and China have vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at halting Syria’s bloody 11-month crackdown on dissent. Thirty-one people were killed across the country on Saturday, mostly civilians, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
MIA Syrian ambassador moved to China
The Syrian Ambassador to Washington Imad Moustapha has been missing in action for months. So where did he go? As it turns out, he moved to China! Moustapha, who is the subject of an FBI investigation for his alleged role in intimidating Syrian-American protesters and their families, is still listed as the Syria’s ambassador to the United States on the Syrian embassy’s website. But on his personal blog Feb. 8, he suddenly announced he and his family had moved to China in a post entitled “A Fresh Start from the Middle Kingdom.”
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/14/mia_syrian_ambassador_moved_to_china
Inside Syria – Who is really calling the shots in Damascus?
Following a significant rise in violence on the streets of Syria, we ask if the regime views the failed UN resolution as a victory and excuse to step up its crackdown. Joining us to discuss this: Bassam Imadi, Yousef Kanli and Abdel Khaliq Abdella.
Obama asks for $770 million to boost Arab democracy
WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama’s administration on Monday requested a fund of nearly $800 million to boost political and other reforms in Arab countries undergoing pro-democracy revolutions. The new fund is part of $51.6 billion requested for the State Department and US Agency for International Development in 2013, which amounts to around 1.4 percent of the government’s entire budget, the State Department said. The department said it requested “$770 million for a new Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund to respond strategically to the historical changes taking place across the region.”
www.TheHeadlines.Org
